To promote both fun and safety, organizations throughout Columbia have been offering special Halloween events. The Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation hosts the “Tiger Night of Fun” -- an alternative event held at Hearnes Center Field House, where children of young families can be in a safe, supervised environment.

Spokesperson Janel Twehous said the department first offered its Halloween event 18 years ago when there were fears of tainted candy. Twehous said the department wanted to offer a safe alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating.

The tradition of dressing up in costumes for Halloween dates back to an ancient Celtic festival where the Celts wore animal heads and skins. When Halloween made its way to America in the 1800s, people took after this tradition and began dressing in costumes and going house to house asking for candy, according to the History Channel.